


I will carve out a spot for you

by That_1_Name



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Confessions, Dialogue Heavy, Eddie Lives, Fluff, Foul Mouth Richie, Let them be happy!, M/M, Post-IT Chapter Two (2019), Sorry Stan, sassy eddie, semi-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-11-02 08:50:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20689724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_1_Name/pseuds/That_1_Name
Summary: “So, if I remember right, you have watched my routine.”“You’re what?”“You know, my stand-up.”“Seriously! Of all the shit we have just been through, that’s what’s your focusing on?  Not the fact you and the others just bullied an extraterrestrial creature to death.”(or Richie confesses his feelings in his own special way and Eddie needs to sort out his life)





	I will carve out a spot for you

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: the characters belong to their rightful owners. Enjoy the fic.

It was over. No more clown, no more deaths, nothing else to be scared of. Eddie wishd he was conscious to witness it, but, from the endless stream Richie has been providing since he woke up in a hospital, he’s not sure he would have believed it even if he was conscious. 

After a few weeks of recovery, sporting a new scar on his chest, Eddie had made it back to the Inn, and, of course, that asshole would choose now to pester him instead of trying to pack up his things. While Eddie was trying to meticulously pack away his toiletries, Richie was currently sprawled out on his bed, staring him down. 

“So, if I remember right, you have watched my routine.”

“You’re what?”

“You know, my stand-up.”

Eddie stormed back into his bedroom from the bathroom, two different colored mouthwashes in each hand.

“Seriously! Of all the shit we have just been through, that’s what’s your focusing on? Not the fact you and the others just bullied an extraterrestrial creature to death.”

Richie just grinned even broader, finding the way Eddie’s eyebrows are nearly touching his hairline adorable.

“Which joke was your favorite?”

“Un-fucking-believable.”

“Come on, Eds.”

“First, fuck you, you know I hate it when you call me that. Second, I’m currently busy making sure I don’t confuse my plaque-protection mouthwash with my gum-strengthening one. Third, again, fuck you, Rich. Fourth, why do you care, you didn’t even write your own material. If anything, I should tell whatever poor sap you roped into writing for you because god knows how much you put them through.”

“Not as much as I put your mom through, Eds.”

Eddie’s mouth opens for a split second with a retort, but, the moment he noticed how Richie leaned forward with bated breath, he chose to close his mouth with a huff and go back into the bathroom. He decides that he suddenly doesn’t care how he packs his toiletries, lost in his own thoughts on the way Richie’s curls help shape his face, making him seem almost handsome. 

Well, ok, maybe it isn’t too much of a stretch to say that his friend has grown into a devilish charmer and how every time Eddie sees his grin his heart skips a beat. He tells himself that’s not important right now and the whole heart thing is just his asthma acting up; for now anyway, that’s what he tells himself.

Richie decides to lie back against the bed, eyes glued to the ceiling of this grungy room. He mentally checks off the health code violations that, he’s more than positive, Eddie has noticed as well. 

The only sound between the two is the steady hum of the ceiling fan as Eddie finishes up. Something about this silence feels tense, or is it anxious. Richie can’t decide which it is, but he would be a hypocrite if he didn’t take his own advice and be braver than he thinks he is. 

“You know, if it makes you happy, I actually have been working on some original material.”

Eddie hands freeze for a second. “Yeah?”

“Yup, I guess coming here was more beneficial than I thought, other than the obvious stopping a primordial evil from ass fucking the town into oblivion.”

“That’s pretty brutal, Richie," Eddie commented resuming his work.

“It’s true though, but, for real, I actually kind of missed this place. At least in the sense I missed the good memories I had here.” 

“Oh, you mean like that one time you spread a rumor about sleeping with our math teacher.”

“Hey, Ms. Lazinski was single and more than ready to mingle. Also I was a dumbass kid living in a middle of the most boring state of all, Maine, what else did I have going for me? All I had were our fellow Losers and . . .”

Richie’s word tapered away, hoping to cut off his tongue before the last of it escaped, but it was obvious in the silence that followed that there was something being left out. He tried to think of something else to fill in the blank but nothing was coming to mind.

Eddie’s concern grew with each silent second that ticked by, his heart rate starting to match the hum from the fan. He picked up his packed bag, yet he did not leave the bathroom. He leaned against the cool porcelain of the sink, taking in steady breaths. There was this strange feeling of anticipation, like his instincts were telling him that if he went out there that something will happen. Change has always been a frightening thing for Eddie, which is part of the reason why he preferred to have someone make the choices for him. He spent most of his life like that, so it makes sense why now he chose to instead follow what he _wanted_ to do. Eddie walked into the bedroom, ignoring how quiet Richie was on the bed. He took a seat at the foot of the bed, unzipping his toiletry bag to perform a preliminary check. He told himself that this time he did it out of habit. 

Powering through a tremble threatening to take control, Eddie spoke in a casual tone, “Are you going to tell me what you’ve been working on?”

“You sure you want to hear it?”

“Might as well, could make for better entertainment than whatever I’ll get at the airport.”

“Ok, here it is, but it’s still a work in progress, so don’t go too crazy with any criticism you have.”

Richie lets out an exaggerated sigh, lightly pounding his fist against the bed in an attempt to pump himself up. “Come on, Richie, you can do this.”

Eddie stifles the laugh that tried to slip out doing his best to pretend he did not hear Richie give himself a pep talk. 

“So, believe it or not, I killed a guy.”

“ . . .”

“Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, and, yes, I did get away with it because he was a bloody psychopath. Not just your basic psychopath that just throws their shit as a hobby, but a legitimate murderer that terrorized me and my friends when we were kids. I also did it to save one of my good friends, and, just like a hero, I held my head high before vomiting all over the carpet in a dusty old library.”

Eddie couldn’t help a light chuckle; he did find his fingers twitch a little, wanting to reach up and touch the scar on his cheek.

“Normally, you’re supposed to feel bad about killing someone, but he had it coming for a long while. He was a real piece of shit, an inbred poster child for cousin fucking monthly to help inspire others to purse sister/brother relationships. He was an asshole, and,” Richie’s voice wavered for a second, losing its bravado, “he hurt someone I really care about.”

Richie shifted till his back was up against the headboard, eyes still trained on the ceiling. Eddie stood tense at the foot of the bed, attentive, forgetting what he was doing before.

“Let me tell you about him. He is the weirdest person you’ll ever meet, and the squirmiest and lankiest mother fucker too. At first glance, you wouldn’t think much of him, and, if you heard him talk about risk statistics and infections, you’ll probably just write him off. You would be SO wrong.”

With a new gusto, the words seemed to come easier as he loses himself in speaking what he has been holding back to say. “He’s the single bravest man I’ve ever known, second only to this other friend of mine named Stan, but that’s a story for another time. He was in a car crash and shook it off, got puked on, and even took a knife to the cheek. A fucking knife! And what does he do? Tell off his attacker’s taste in hairstyle. He is a grade A badass, and he even faced his greatest fears and saved my life.”

Richie doesn’t notice how Eddie’s shoulders are starting to shake.

“He’s my hero, the man I aspire to be, and . . .,” _deep breathes, Richie, this is your moment. Be strong._

Richie is too lost in his own thoughts that he doesn’t notice the steps approaching him till the bed dips and there’s a weight sitting on his chest. He looks down and sees the dark locks of Eddie’s head nestled just a few inches under his face. 

“And?” Eddie’s voice cracked at the question, a wet, shaky breath making his whole body shiver. Richie raised a tentative hand, slow and cautious, and ran it through his hair to help soothe the both of them for what he was about to confess.

“And the single most precious person in my life that I would commit first degree murder to protect.”

A choked sob filled the room, and Richie found his own eyes starting to water. Finally admitting his feelings felt so good, and, once he felt Eddie close a hand around the one not stroking his hair, fingers fitting so perfectly together, Richie could no longer hold back and cried just as freely as Eddie. He buried his face into Eddie’s hair, taking in the scent that took him back to simpler years. 

“You better fucking make sure to mention how it was a 3 story tall spider monster I fought against. Be sure to pump up how badass I was.”

Richie laughed lightly, heart bursting with love for this man.

“Of course.”

“I don’t want you to take any of my glory, especially with my new battle scars. People are gonna think I’m the meanest son of a bitch around.”

“Yes, you are, Eds.”

“Seriously, imagine the street cred I’ll get with these.”

“Your skills at organizing and citing medical journals should have gotten you plenty street cred.”

“Ok, now you’re just trying to get on my good side now.”

“Is it working?”

Eddie repositioned, a cold spot settling where his head used to be making Richie already miss it, and he rested his head in Richie’s lap, looking up at him. Richie looked terrible. Streams of tears were still falling down his face, and he looked a hot mess with those puffy eyes and running nose. Granted, Eddie didn’t look any better with his scarred up left cheek and just as much snot running down his nose. To the both of them, they couldn’t have looked any better.

“Cut me a fee of 20% to use my story in your routine and maybe it will.”

“Sure, Eddie Spaghetti.”

“Thanks, Trashmouth.”

The two fell into a comfortable silence, Richie’s hand moved to rest on Eddie's cheek, thumb tracing over the scar. An anger bubbles under his skin for letting that happen, but the feeling is soon swallowed up by the warmth coming off of Eddie. The pulse beating, the blood flowing, alive and safe here with him; Richie couldn’t ask for anything better.

~_A few hours later~_

“You sure you can’t stay a little longer?”

“Sorry, Richie, I need to head back. Gotta take care of a few things.”

The airport was small, not too busy at this time of year. Richie decided to accompany Eddie as far as he can, but, with the security checkpoint closing in, it might be time to say goodbye. Richie couldn’t help the pained look that crossed his face as they neared their destination, knowing soon that he’ll be alone again.

“Hey, what did I say?”

“Hmm?”

“I see that look on your face. Don’t go getting all depressed on me. I won’t be gone long, ok? Besides, you have my number and my list of emails to reach me with.”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to say anything, but most normal people don’t have 7 emails.”

“Says the man who still has a Yahoo account.”

“Things have been busy in my life, and I would thank you not to judge me.”

“If anyone should be worried it’s me. Leaving you all alone to yourself sounds like a bad idea.”

“Nothing to worry about. I’ll just call up a few hookers and drink myself into a stupor while I blow some random guy in the back of an alley.”

“At least be sure to wash your mouth out before. No telling where those lips have been.”

“You could find out when you get back.”

The comment has the desired effect as Eddie’s cheeks flush. If they weren’t in a public place, Eddie would’ve smacked that cheeky grin right off Richie’s face. Instead, given the light crowd, he decides to be bold and pulls Richie in for a hug. Richie instantly has his arms around his smaller frame, face buried into his hair. Rubbing circles into his back while Eddie’s head rested on his shoulder. 

Eddie spoke quietly just for the two of them, “As soon as I get my life in order, I’ll find you, and come right back.”

“Swear, Eds?”

Eddie pulls away, intertwines their fingers, and, in one quick fluid motion, kisses him. It was a quick kiss, their lips barely touching for a second, but it was the best second in Richie’s opinion for what he felt in that kiss. An oath for more to come, and a promise that they’ll see the future together. 

When he pulled back, Eddie’s face was burning red while Richie was still stunned by the stunt. Grabbing his bags, Eddie stammered and fumbled a bit.

“I, uh, yeah, that was nice. Way fucking nicer than any kiss I ever got, in fact, shit. Um,” he bounces on his feet, eyes darting back and forth between Richie’s eyes and his lips, before going in for another quick kiss, “sorry, um, I really should be going, but, uh,” he kisses Richie again, eyes crinkling for a second, “wait, is that,” another kiss, “is that my mouthwash I taste on your breath?”

“I tried some while you weren’t looking.”

“I’ll bring you some more when I come back.”

Eddie turns away and starts marching towards the checkpoint, face radiating. Richie finally snaps out of his daze, “Call me when you get there.”

“I will.”

“Try not to get into another car crash again.”

“No promises.”

Richie was trying to find some amazing last words to say at Eddie’s retreating back; the kind that’ll last the both of them till they can talk again.

“Hey, Eds!”

“What?”

“Please don’t join the mile high club by fucking one of your inhalers!”

“Why don’t you ask your mom about that since I fucked her on the way up!”

A laugh slipped from Richie as Eddie left. _I’m gonna miss him so fucking much, but I’ll wait. I waited 27 years, what’s another few months. _Richie blew a kiss to his retreating back.

After getting through security, Eddie had some time to kill before his plane would start boarding. Currently, he’s nursing a drink at this small rinky-dink airport bar. The barstool is a little loose and worse for wear, and there are several distinct odors coming from the bar top, but he really could not care about any of that as he’s trying to drown these new emotions like a normal adult.

His phone vibrates a few times, and, before he could pull it out, a familiar voice calls out to him.

“Eddie!”

Startled at someone recognizing him he nearly topples his drink over the countertop, but still finds that his hand got covered in some of it. 

“Shit, that’s great. Ok, who’s the asshole that owes me a be-Bev?”

The last person he expected to see was Beverly, her smile as bright as her hair in the light coming through the airport windows. _Huh, her hair does really resemble embers_.

“When did you get here, Eddie,” she comes around and gives him a tight hug before sitting down at the stool next to him.

“Just about 20 minutes ago.”

“Oh, did Richie follow you here then?”

Eddie spat out the beer he just had ingested, coughing as Bev pats his back.

“How did you know?”

“I saw him outside in the lobby while Ben was seeing me off. He was just sitting around typing on his phone. He seemed pretty into whatever it was he was doing, so I just said hi to him real quick. You would’ve loved the look on his face, Eddie, it was priceless, nearly threw his phone with how high he jumped.”

“You don’t say.”

Eddie suddenly felt a great need to check his phone. 

“I’m surprised you didn’t stay a little longer, Bev. Thought you would want to spend more time with Derry’s resident poet,” he remarked wiggling his eyebrows in a knowing fashion.

Beverly blushed, smiling as she adjusted her hair to distract from the way her heart skipped.

“Are we that obvious?”

“Derry being a shithole of a town is obvious, you two were practically, and I hope you’ll excuse my French, eye fucking each other.”

“Wow, beep beep, Eddie. Someone has been hanging around Richie too much.”

“He’s a bad influence, what can I say.”

He took that moment to reach into his pocket to pull out his phone. He just had swiped the lockscreen off when the phone slipped out of his wet hands.

“Come the fuck on!”

“Oh, don’t worry, I got it.”

“Whoa, wait, Bev, let me.”

With a shocked gasp it was too late; Beverly had picked up his phone and was in the process of giving it back when it went off again.

2 NEW MESSAGES

ONE NEW VOICEMAIL

“Looks like someone is popular,” her face lights up as she rests the phone between them, placing it in front of Eddie. She looks around for a second, Eddie too focused on his phone to notice the look of urgency cross her face. She rises from the stool quickly, “Excuse me, Eddie, I just spotted the restroom.”

She strolls off, a little faster than necessary. Eddie bangs his head against the countertop, thanking his lucky star that he didn’t need to explain anything. He’s not sure he’s quite ready for this discussion yet. A little more time to figure things out and then it’ll be fine. For now, he pulls his phone closer, keeping it on the table to prevent from dropping it again. He opens up the messages first:

  * **Ok, so I’m terrible with expressing emotions like a normal person, and I want to try to change that so things can be crystal clear between us. **
  * **That is, of course, if you really want to go through with whatever this thing between us is. I’ll respect whatever decision you make because I know you have your veritable pick of large women to choose from to help fill that big vacant hole in your heart where your mom used to be before I ran off with her.**

Eddie snickered, taking another sip of his beer before pressing play on the voicemail. 

“_Just realized I didn’t say what I wanted to say in those last messages. Just know that when I say things about sleeping with your mom, that’s my own dumbass way of saying: I really like you, and I’m going to miss you not being around. These past few weeks, despite being filled with some traumatic shit, have really been the happiest I’ve felt in a long while, and I hope you feel the same way too. Well, I have rambled off my quota of emotions for the year, so I’ll leave with this: Eddie, I want you, in whatever way that may mean, to be a part of my life again_. _It just took us meeting again for me to realize that's what I want. Ok, I’m not very good at goodbyes soooo *BEEP*.”_

Part of Eddie hopes this doesn’t become routine with Richie as he can’t keep crying out in public like this. He’s busy wiping away the tears using one of the two portable Kleenex dispensers he has in his bag when Beverly returns from the restroom. 

She eyes Eddie carefully, “Everything ok?”

“Yeah, it was just Richie. He’s being sentimental. Guess with everything that happened he’s trying to be more open.”

“That’s great to hear; maybe next time we meet he can go 5 minutes without making an ‘I banged your mom’ joke.”

Eddie nods absentmindedly, thoughts miles away.

“Well, here’s hoping it won’t take too long for either of us to find out. What are you heading back to do, Eddie?”

“I . . . have some affairs I need to get in order.” His fingers brush over the gold band heavily settled on his ring finger like a vice.

“I hear you there. I’ve got a few loose ends to clear up before I can finally go after what I’ve been missing for so long.”

“What’s that?”

“A chance to be genuinely happy with a man that loves me.”

“I’ll drink to that.”

If Beverly noticed the implication of those words she didn’t let it show on her face. She called over the barkeep to order a drink. Glass in hand, she raises it to share in a toast for two wayward lovers.

She smiles at Eddie, an ember burning in her eyes, “To our future happiness, may we leave back to our old lives only to make room for the new one to come soon.”

Eddie returns the smile, eyes burning just as bright, “And to those who we will invite to share in those lives.”

_*Clink_*

_~Later that evening~_

Richie was lounging on the bed in his room at the Inn, take out boxes on the bedside table and papers strewn around him. He has been work-shopping some material with the remaining Losers before they all head out. Groaning, he rubbed his forehead out of annoyance at how tedious it is to be a legitimate comedian when his phone suddenly rang. Richie fumbled around, throwing papers about, till he found his phone hidden underneath the sheets.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Richie.”

“Eds,” Riche’s perked up at the familiar voice, a smile automatically stretching across his face, “how was the trip?”

“Lame, boring, and uneventful,” Eddie relaxed into his bed, the stresses of the day instantly fading away from hearing Richie’s voice. “Thankfully, I ran into Bev just before my flight left, and we might’ve drunk a drink or two.”

“Holy shit, please tell me you were drunk on the plane?”

“Eh, more like buzzed. I would’ve called you sooner, but as soon I touched down it’s been a bit hectic. I finally got some alone time here at my place.”

Richie could hear the exhaustion in his voice, curious as to what exactly has been keeping him from calling. “How’s the bigger woman in your life?”

There was a noticeable heavy sigh on the other end of the receiver, well that answered part of Richie’s question, “She’s . . . been a little difficult. The moment she saw me she has been hounding me to disclose every last bit of detail of my trip, while also telling me how I shouldn’t have gone on the trip to begin with.”

“Geez, and people wonder why I prefer the single life.”

“I’m sure that’s not the only reason you remained single, Rich.”

“Eh, not wrong there, Eds.”

For the next hour the two of them just casually talk, telling each other about their day. As the night went on, fatigue could be heard edging into their voices, but both of them made it a point to not give away how tired they were getting, even making an effort to yawn away from the phone.

Eddie suddenly became very quiet for a second, “So, I’ve come to realize something about Myra, and I’m not sure how I feel about this.”

“That she is fattening you up to eat you?”

“No, trashmouth, that, and I just feel so wrong for saying this . . . she reminds me of my mom.”

“No shit! Who’s the motherfucker now!?”

Eddie curled into himself under the covers of his bed, mortified, “Stop, please, I already feel like I need to go to therapy.”

“I know a few therapists you could see. They did wonders for me as you can tell. I’m just a walking emotionally stable adult.”

“Oh yeah, everyone in The Losers club seem so well adjusted. Maybe we all should pitch in for a group therapy session sometime.”

“We can make it a tradition.”

Eddie goes quiet again, unsure on how to broach the next topic of discussion. He bites his lips out of habit, nerves getting the better of him.

“So, obviously, because I’ve come to realize that, the two of us are getting a divorce.”

“Oh,” whatever fatigue Richie was feeling suddenly is replaced with a new sensation warming his chest. “Shit, well, um . . . sorry?”

“Don’t be, I guess eventually this might’ve happened. She hasn’t been the best of wives.” Richie could tell there was more that he wanted to say, and there was. Eddie couldn’t bring himself to say how he just let her control his life like his mother did, belittled and emasculated him to the point he lost all sense of who he is and became just a machine of routine. Thankfully, Richie was always the one he could count on to lighten the mood.

“Don’t worry, Eds, there are other whales in the sea. We could go down to the coastline, have a nice picnic and wait for the next Mrs. Kaspbrak to wash ashore.”

“You’re a fucking asshole,” despite the harsh words, Eddie was fighting not to laugh, a tired but warm smile on his face.

“Is that a no then to maybe going to the beach with me?”

Richie waited with bated breath. Eddie intentionally dragged out the silence despite already having an answer the moment the question was presented.

“Can we go anywhere else besides a beach? I read this article that said that the ocean is basically 90% fish piss, crap, and carcasses and I don’t like the idea of having to shower for a solid 2 hours. That’s not even taking into account how fucked up beaches are now-a-days. You’re walking along then BAM needle in your foot, or you suddenly step into a used condom left behind by some jackasses.”

“Now I think I need to go see a therapist because listening to you ramble on about risk statistics and nerdy health shit is kind of turning me on.”

“Shut the fuck up, Rich,” Eddie sputtered out, and he could not be happier being so far away from Richie right now as he couldn’t live with himself if Richie saw how flushed that made him.

“What are you wearing?”

“We’re not doing this now, oh my god, I swear if you are touching yourself right now I’m leaving you!”

“Does that imply we’re together already?”

“Uh, well,” Eddie did kind of walk into that one. The thought crossed his mind and it didn’t seem too bad. He still needed time to process a few things about himself though, figure out who he really is when he’s not being bossed around, and, in all honesty, he feels like Richie would help him do that because he always did just want Eddie to be himself. “I’m . . . not sure. Not that I don’t want to, Rich, so don’t go thinking I don’t want to be in a relationship with you because I do. I,” Eddie took in a deep breath, trying to find the words, feeling overwhelmed in the process, “do want you, Rich. It’s just this is all new to me.”

“Same here,” Richie didn’t sound right saying that, like he had no clue what to do either.

“Please, be patient with me as I try to figure this out.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” there was a glimmer of hope in those words that Eddie would hang onto and carry for the days to come.

“I know you won’t, you’re too stubborn to learn to take a hint.” The fondness in that statement warmed Richie’s heart. Finally, Eddie was losing his battle and audibly yawned into the phone, “It’s getting late. I better turn in.”

“Yeah, before you do can you do something for me?”

“What?”

A cheeky grin crossed Richie’s face, “Can you kiss your mom goodnight for me?”

“You are the single worst person I’ve ever met, and I definitely need a therapist if I’m actually considering being in a relationship with you.”

“We can share, Eds.”

“We can share a lot of things, and . . . I miss you too.”

“So you got my message. Cool, cool, cool, hope I didn’t sound too cliché.”

“You did, but in a good way.”

“Good . . . good.”

All they could hear on the line was the other’s breathing, neither of them wanted the call to end. 

“Goodnight, Richie.”

“Goodnight, Eddie.”

_See you soon._

_~Five years later~_

Richie stood as still as possible so Eddie could work his magic, plus it did give him time to admire the way his brows furrowed whenever he had to concentrate. The latter was currently busy fiddling with Richie’s tie getting it camera ready.

“You’re nearly 50 years old and still can’t do a tie right.”

“Sorry, hun, it’s just when it comes to tying knots I always prefer the way you do it.”

“Ok, get them all out.”

Eddie steps away from Richie, crossing his arms with a pointed look on his face. Richie looks innocently at him, batting his eyelashes.

“Whatever are you talking about, light of my life?”

“Before you go out there, I want you to get all the innuendos you have about me out of your system. So, let’s hear them.”

Richie looks scandalized, feigning a gasp, “Honeybuns, I _never _do something like that. I never mention how you go around doing the lord’s work with how much you love missionary.”

To his credit, Eddie doesn’t flinch, merely raising a hand to gesture for him to go on.

“Or how the local furniture store loves us for how many kitchen tables we go through. Also how we both must be part Australian for how much we love to go down under.”

Before he could say anymore, Eddie spotted the stage manager walking their way, so he slammed a hand over Richie’s mouth.

“10 minutes before we need you in position, Richard.”

Eddie smiles for Richie, not even risking removing his hand for a second with the glimmer of mischief he could spot in those eyes.

“Thanks, I’ll make sure he’s in his spot.”

She nods and runs off. Eddie takes this time to finish up Richie’s tie, smoothing it down once finished, and his fingers trace over Richie’s necklace, the gold band hanging on it shining brightly in his palm. Rubbing around the edge he could still make out the faint _E_ that was engraved on it. Richie grabbed his hand, thumb rubbing over the matching gold band on Eddie’s ring finger, and kissed it.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

“Careful, don’t get all emotional or your face will get all puffy.”

“I thought you liked my puffy face?”

“I do, but only when it’s for me.”

“Oh, babe, you know I’m a sucker for when you talk sweetly.”

“You’re a sucker alright,” Eddie grinned mischievously. 

Richie’s eyes watered up at the corner, “Fuck, I love you, Eddie.”

Eddie’s face lit up, “Love you too, Richie.”

“5 minutes, Richard!”

“I’m going! Geez, can a guy have a few minutes with his husband in this place?”

“Go, I’ll be watching from back here. Behave yourself and play nice with the host.”

“I swear on my 13 inch dick that I’ll play nice.”

Eddie gave out an exasperated sigh and leaned up to kiss him. Despite years of being together, every time they kiss still feels like the first time. Richie can’t help but smile into the kiss which makes Eddie smile too, and soon the butterflies start flying in both their stomachs. 

“Ok,” Richie leans down and kisses him again, “I should start going now,” and again, “before they start yelling at me because that stage manager lady I’m pretty sure is glaring at me.”

“Knock em’ dead, babe.”

Richie gave his hands one last squeeze before walking off to the taped X on the floor in front of a curtain. He brushed his hands down his sleeve, fiddled with his tie a little knowing how it’ll get Eddie all riled up after the show, and waited for his cue.

“Ladies and gentleman, my next guest tonight is here to talk about his latest upcoming special _Be Proud_, I’m sure you all heard of him and how he has been making waves in the comedy scene. So join me in welcoming Mr. Richard Kaspbrak-Tozier!”

The curtains opened and Richie stepped out to the sound of thunderous applause. He smiled and waved, doing un-ironic finger guns at the audience members waving pride flags as he made his way to his chair close to the host’s desk.

“Glad to have you here tonight, Richard.”

“Good to be here, Travis.”

“Now, before we get into the special I just want to touch base with you and see how things have been for you and your husband.”

“I like to refer to him as my better half but it is more accurate to call him my better three-fourths. I was a hot mess of a man before he entered into my life.”

“I hate to say but it’s true, Richard, most of us, I’m sure, have gone back and looked at some of your older standup, which, if I’m being honest, were not your best material.”

“Well, if it helps, you can blame my writers for that. That was the last time I let anyone else write my act for me. Starting five years ago, I’ve been writing my own material.”

“And that’s what led to your big breakthrough with your special _A Penny Wiser_, which featured stories from your actual childhood growing up in Derry, Maine.”

“Which I assure you is 100% accurate.” The audience laughs, knowing the joke is that the stories were too outrageous to have actually been true. It has become his shtick to tell stories that couldn’t possibly be true but assert that they were.

“That’s also where you met your husband.”

“That’s right, we were childhood friends. It was the love story for the ages, he was a hypochondriac and I was the guy who made jokes about banging his mom. Funny enough, it was actually back home at Derry where I proposed to him.”

“Oh yes, we’ve seen the photos circulating when it happened. It was all over the place.”

What wasn’t circulated was the exact location of the proposal. The photos chosen to be shared online were taken in a different spot from where exactly it happened. In a photo saved on his phone, Richie is bending on one knee in front of a crying Eddie with the initials he carved into The Kissing Bridge in the background.

“The most adorable thing is that my fanbase has actually given me and Eddie, my husband for those who don’t know and, first off, how dare you for not knowing who he is, a really cute pet name. They call us R-E-K-T, which in my honest opinion sums up how much I love him because he rekt my heart.” Backstage, Eddie groans. “I just feel a little bad because they tried doing it the other way which got a few of them banned off of Twitter. I’ll say I did have a good laugh when I saw #E-R-K-T trending for a bit.” 

Travis waits for the audience to settle down from laughing before he continues, “Now, Richard, let’s talk about your special, _Be Proud_, how did you come up with that title?”

“It actually came from one of my late friends, Stanley Uris. He wrote me and the rest of my friends this letter and one of the things he said in it was to be proud of who you are, and, at the time reading it, that spoke volumes to me as I was still coming to terms with my sexuality. I was 41 years old having a gay mid-life panic about my sexual identity. You never hear about that in stories. It’s always these young teens with sexy vampires or whatever the new monster to fuck these days is. I was alone trying to figure out how to exist, but it turns out I wasn’t really. Eddie was going through the same thing, and I was lucky enough that he wanted to figure it out together.”

Richie sniffled, rubbing at his eyes to keep the tears from coming out. “With that, I want to say here and now, that all proceeds from the special will go to charities that deal with LGBTQ+ youth at risk and suicide prevention. So, even if you think I’m a total jackass that deserves no attention, at least go out and donate to these wonderful charities and help groups that look after people who are alone out there, and let me say to you out there who is watching this, if you feel like you’re alone in this world, know there are others like you going through the same thing. Even if you’re still a kid, or a teenager, or a 46 year old man, your stories and experience matter. You aren’t alone, you will be found, and you will be heard.”

The audience burst into a standing ovation, Richie could no longer hide the tears as he pulled his glasses off to wipe away at his eyes.

“Richard, I think I speak on behalf of everyone here when I say, thank you for what you do.”

“It’s my pleasure, Travis. I’m just trying to make up for lost time.”

“Richard Kaspbrak-Tozier everybody! We’ll be right back after this commercial break!”

As soon as the cameras were off, Richie made his way backstage in a sprint. Eddie was already waiting behind the curtains, eyes shimmering, and Richie just embraced him, pulling him in as close as possible.

“You did so great out there, Rich.”

Richie didn’t say anything but just nodded along to all the nice things he was saying as Eddie brushed a hand through his hair. Richie pulled Eddie’s head up and kissed him deeply. 

“I’m so lucky to have you in my life. Thanks for making room in yours for me.”

“You already had a spot long ago; I just needed to clean it up for you.”

_~Fin~_

**Author's Note:**

> My first entry into this fandom, and also one of my longest fics to date, this was a work of love to help patch my heart up. Just a few things I want to say:
> 
> "E-R-K-T" is pronounced as "erect" (hahahaha)
> 
> A post on tumblr actually inspired my decision to have Richie wear his wedding ring on a necklace he wears while Eddie wears his normally. The post said: "Richie was scared to come out to the world. Eddie was scared to come out to himself." I interpreted this to mean that for Richie, after conquering his fear, would always have his ring visible to make sure the world knows what he is, and all Eddie cares about is the nice reminder that this was his choice and he accepts and loves himself as much as Richie does.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it and have a lovely day! XOXO


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